SMG are dleighted to have brokered the agreement between Reading Football Club and international financial technology firm/ digital wallet specialist, Rapidz (www.rapidz.io), as Official ‘Back of Shirt’ Partner for 2020-21.

For the first time, this partnership brings a niche brand category, the crypto ecosystem within fintech industry, to football shirt sponsorship.

Rapidz is a Singapore-founded financial technology company that reimagines the digital finance/payment experience and propels the crypto ecosystem to a broader audience.

The company offers users the ability to have an all-in-one finance platform to access blockchain finance.

Rapidz also allows users to top up mobile plans across 170 countries and shop at 155,000 merchants which now accept digital currencies through the firm’s technology - including Major Cineplex Group in Thailand for example.

Their innovative Initial Wallet Offering (IWO) brings utility and spendability to blockchain tokens. App users enjoy easy-to-use payment and remittance services at the lowest rates – enabling users to send and receive crypto as effortlessly as sending an email.

As part of the partnership, the Rapidz logo will appear prominently on the back of the shirts of the men’s and women’s first team as well as our Under-23s team for all league and domestic cup matches.

This will run in tandem with pitchside advertising at Madejski Stadium, branding on interview backdrops and a presence across the club’s digital and social media platforms.

Rapidz clients, meanwhile, will also be able to benefit from VIP hospitality packages and have access to tickets to watch the Royals in action, once fans are again allowed in the stands.

Tim Kilpatrick, Reading Football Club’s Head of Sales and Partnerships, said “We’re delighted to announce Rapidz as our new ‘Back of Shirt’ Partner. We’re an ambitious club, in a fast-growing technology town, and we are honoured to be the first football club in the world to partner with such an innovative, progressive company as Rapidz.”

Commenting on the partnership, Panos Pavlakis, Senior Vice President of Rapidz added "Having experienced first-hand the excitement and global reach of English football - especially in south-east Asia - we are thrilled to establish this unique partnership with Reading Football Club.

“Living in the current challenging times where innovation and advancement are needed through new technologies, it is especially exciting to forge this partnership with a like-minded and ambitious football club! We are looking forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with the Royals!”

For more information on Rapidz, please visit their website www.rapidz.io.